1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to liquid distributing equipment, and, in particular, to an apparatus operable in association with a ticket marking device to indicate improper or unauthorized delivery of liquid products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common practice to transport liquid products, and particularly liquid petroleum product such as fuel oil and gasoline, in large tank delivery trucks. The sight of such large petroleum delivery trucks dispensing allotments of gasoline at the neighborhood service stations and fuel oil to individual homeowners is commonplace.
In the typical instance, the party to whom the liquid petroleum product is dispensed receives an itemized "ticket" recording the transaction. The ticket typically contains identification of the purchaser, a sale number or other indication identifying the previous transaction, a sale number indicating the end of the dispensation of the liquid product to the consumer in question, and an indication of both the initial and the final gallonage of that dispersion. The number of gallons dispensed to the given consumer is, of course, determined by the difference between initial gallonage and final gallonage.
A well-known device for providing such transaction information on a ticket for an individual consumer is the Veeder-Root Counter-Printer Assembly. This device includes a number of discs having alpha-numeric characters in relief thereon mounted on a shaft geared to the liquid meter on the truck. Appropriate ones of the discs are advanced (much like an automobile odometer) as the volume of liquid is dispensed from the truck to the consumer. Other discs are provided whereby the identifying criteria, such as the sale number assigned to a given consumer, may be displayed on the ticket. The purpose of the sale sequence number is to insure that each dispensation of product has been recorded.
At the beginning of a transaction to a given customer the truck driver inserts a transaction ticket for that particular consumer into a ticket tray and cranks the ticket into the counter-printer assembly. The sale number assigned to the given customer and the initial gallonage (typically zero) are imprinted on the ticket by the action of a rubber hammer bringing the surface of the ticket into contact with the appropriate ones of the relieved figures on the discs. At the end of the transaction, the rubberized hammer prints the final gallonage on the ticket by again bringing the ticket into contact with the appropriate gallonage figures on the discs. In this manner, in the typical case, the transaction between the delivery truck operator and the consumer is memorialized.
When the final gallonage is imprinted on the ticket, the counter-printer primes the sale number indexing mechanism to provide some measure of security against unauthorized delivery. For example, if the driver dispenses liquid product at an unauthorized location without a ticket being entered into the counter-printer, the counter-printer will increment the sale number and prime the indexing mechanism. Thus, when the driver next dispenses liquid product, a sale number not sequential with respect to the last authorized sale number will be printed. This discourages attempts to deliver liquid product without a ticket in the counter-printer.
There has, however, developed an illegal practice known as "riding the ticket". Although there are probably numerous variations on the theme, the basic tactic involved when "riding the ticket" is substantially as follows. A delivery operator before making a delivery will, prior to arrival at the location of the authorized delivery, move the truck to a site at which an illegal dispensation of liquid product is to occur. The operator will crank into the counter-printer a ticket intended for ultimate transmission to the authorized customer. If it is assumed that the authorized customer has ordered 250 gallons of liquid product, the operator will dispense some gallonage less than that figure at the illegal dispensation site. For example, 175 gallons may be dispensed at the illegal location.
The delivery truck operator then moves the truck to the authorized consumer, leaving in the counter-printer assembly the ticket inserted at the unauthorized drop. Thus, the driver has "ridden the ticket" from the illegal drop to the site of the authorized customer drop.
At the authorized location the driver, relying on the negligence or inattentiveness of the customer, will deliver the balance of the authorized gallonage (in this example, 75 gallons). When the balance of the delivery has been completed the driver merely cranks out the ticket. This ticket ostensibly indicates that the authorized customer has received his full allotment of petroleum product. The authorized customer will be billed accordingly. In reality, however, the authorized customer has received only a portion of the ordered gallonage. The remainder has been illegally dropped. "Riding the ticket" is thus characterized by the sequential occurrence of the following events: insertion of a ticket; liquid flow; interruption in flow for a period in which the ticket is ridden; resumption of flow; and removal of ticket.
The advantage to be derived by an apparatus which inhibits or renders impossible the practice of "riding the ticket" is readily apparent.
Attempts have been made in the prior art to monitor interruptions in liquid delivery. For example, apparatus for recording liquid delivery data is believed to have been offered for sale by Flo Time Ticket Printer, Inc., Baltimore, Md. Such a device is believed to be the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,967 (Sherman et al.). This device provides an electrically operable apparatus for recording liquid delivery data which specifies the time of commencement of delivery, the time of termination of delivery, and a mechanism to preclude removal of the data record prior to completion of the delivery and for a specified period after the termination of the delivery. It is also believed that the time an interruption in liquid flow occurs is also recorded. However, any flow interruption, of any time duration and for any reason, is recorded. If, for example, the driver briefly paused during an authorized delivery, the flow interruption necessitated thereby is recorded.
Other devices, such as that available from Arkstrom Industries, Newark, N.J., automatically print the ticket when flow stops. This device, believed to exemplify the devices shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,319,256 and 3,329,312 (both to da Silva Valerio), appears to require external connection to the delivery vehicle's electrical system in order to provide the electrical current for electrical actuation thereof. To require an electrical connection in any monitoring device is believed to be disadvantageous due to the requirement of an expensive explosion prevention arrangement necessary when volatile liquids, as petroluem products for example, are dispensed.
A device sold by Brooks Instrument Division of Emerson Electric Company, Statesboro, Ga., known as the "Transaction Computer" is believed to also require interconnection to the vehicle's electrical system.
Other devices have been used which interlock with the vehicle's ignition or brake system whereby the ignition or the brake is locked when a ticket is inserted into the device. These vehicle's systems are releasable only when the ticket is removed. Devices such as these are also believed to be disadvantageous from a safety standpoint since in the event of a emergency occurrence it may not be possible to be able to remove the ticket from the device. Thus, the delivery vehicle, with its volatile cargo, may remain in the vicinity of a fire or explosion. The potential for a catastrophic result is apparent.
It is believed to be advantageous, in view of the foregoing, to discourage or inhibit "riding the ticket" by providing any suitable indicia on the transaction ticket if liquid product flow is interrupted for a significant predetermined time interval. In this manner an indicia is printed on the ticket which represents the occurrence of both a flow interuption of a duration greater than a predetermined reference time interval followed by the resumption of flow before the ticket is removed. These events, it will be recalled, are the hallmarks of "riding the ticket."
Apparatus in accordance with this invention may be operable in association with a Veeder-Root Counter-Printer assembly and a liquid meter to provide an indication in the form of a non-sequential sale number on the transaction ticket representative of the occurrence of an interruption in the flow of liquid product from the truck for a time duration in excess of a reference time interval followed by flow resumption. If an indicia were provided on the transaction ticket which would indicate that an interruption in flow for a given time duration followed by flow resumption has occurred, the operator would then be called upon to explain the origin of the interruption.
It is believed to be of further advantage to provide a monitoring device which is "self-contained" in the sense that it is independent of other vehicle subsystems and responsive only to the liquid flow.
Further, it is believed to be of advantage to provide a monitoring device which does not require external interconnection with the vehicle's ignition, brake or other subsystems. Such external connections usually invite tampering. However, with the elements of the monitoring device disposed within the casing of the counter-printer, tampering is discouraged. Furthermore, the interconnection of a monitoring apparatus in the counter-printer casing may be effected by the fleet operator without the driver's knowledge, if it is desired to check on the delivery practices of a particular driver without arousing his suspicion.